- Consequently, the order appeared to gag the nomination, vetting and subsequent approval of Elijah Obebo into the Kisii Deputy Governor office.
- Obebo's name was floated early Thursday at the Kisii Assembly as Governor Simba Arati's favourite pick for the seat.
Image: FILE
A court in Machakos Wednesday blocked the Senate from gazetting the impeachment of Kisii Deputy Governor Robert Monda.
Consequently, the order appeared to gag the nomination, vetting and subsequent approval of Elijah Obebo into the Kisii Deputy Governor office.
Obebo's name was floated early Thursday at the Kisii Assembly as Governor Simba Arati's favourite pick for the seat.
He has been chair of the Kisii County Public Service Board since November 2023
The petition in Machakos was filed at the Machakos Court by Mairura Ratemo
He had filed the petition objecting to the planned gazettement by the Senate of Robert Monda.
Monda was impeached Thursday on claims of gross violation of abuse of power.
He was accused of gross violation of the Constitution and law, abuse of office, gross misconduct, and offences under national law.
The Senate found him guilty of all the charges and went forth to uphold MCA's decision to impeach him.
In Machakos, Justice Olei Francis Rayola Ochieng Odhiambo, in whose court the matter was filed certified the matter dated March 20, 2024 as urgent.
"In order to preserve the status quo and to allow the petitioner to ventilate the issues raised in the petition on gazettement is to be issued declaring the seat of the Deputy Governor vacant until the next mention date," stated the Judge in the ruling.
The petition is to be served to the respondents within three days.
The respondent is to be granted seven days to file the response once the parties are served, ruled Rayola.
The matter would be mentioned before Justice Eric Ogola, Principal Judge at Milimani Commercial Court in Nairobi on April 10, 2024, for further directions, he ordered
The stop order by the Machakos Court came hot on the heels of protests in Keumbu the home of Robert Monda where residents said they wanted Arati to pick a replacement from the same region.
They said though Obebo was from Nyaribari Chache, he was not from the same small political division where Monda hails from.
Hesborn Gesicho who led the protests said they will pay Arati in 2027 if he will not need their calm by voting him out.
"We were beginning to recover from the loss and shock of Monda's impeachment but for Simba to go and pick a Deputy governor far from here is a political betrayal of the highest order," said Gesicho.
The residents petitioned Arati that once the dust settles, he nominates James Kenani, President of Kenya Tennis Association, as his deputy.
"He has a proven track in development when he was chair of the Constituency Development Fund during Simeon Nyachae's time when he emerged second overall in the country. This is the person we want, not Obebo who we have never seen or heard," stated Amos Ogoti.